Binns Track - What is the correct Route?

Submitted: Friday, Mar 03, 2023 at 20:11
ThreadID: 145389 Views:2443 Replies:4 FollowUps:17
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Following through some correspondence with Michelle regarding section of Maps that need updating for Binns Track, Michelle was honest and said she was not familiar with this part of the Northern Territory, and shared this link from the NT Tourist…NT Tourism Map.wrong

The map shows the incorrect route from Alice Springs to Gemtree, going straight by the Bitumen, whereas the correct route actually goes east out via Ross River, then north via Arltunga and then actually coming out on the Plenty Highway, around 20km east of Gemtree.

The next wrong section on the NT Tourism map shows you head north near Gemtree and them make your way north to the Sandover Highway….wrong.

The true and correct route is around well over 100km east of Gemtree, before heading north.

Any planning on doing this drive, regarded as one of Australia’s , longest continuous four wheel drive tracks of over 2200 kilometres, under no circumstances follow the map on the NT Tourism site.

A great booklet to have as your travelling companion is this booklet, Binns Track Book.

Also for anyone that also use OziExplorer, they also have a great digital map of the route.

If you want to see what the full drive is like, I have recently put up my new blog,
Full Binns Track Drive.

Each section of the drive is very well signposted, with a very large sign, as shown by a number of my photos on my blog showing you either what section you have just started or just completed.
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Reply By: Member - John - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 08:56

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 08:56
Stephen, have yet to check out your blog, but just wanted to say that Binns Track is a good drive, got lost after Epanarra Station, way too many station tracks, but eventually made the right choice. Old Police Waterhole is now one of my favourite places in Oz, next time will stop a lot longer.
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Follow Up By: Member - Norm & Lisa - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 09:42

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 09:42
Good spot for a refreshing swim John. At night shine the torch on the water and heaps of Red Claw eyes shine back at you.
Everyday is a holiday
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 13:45

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 13:45
Hi John

Yes it’s a great drive and has varied over the years.

The now “new official route” is very well signposted for the entire 2200 kilometres, so much so that if you ever used moving maps, all you have to do was follow those “Binns Track” sign at every road junction.
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Follow Up By: Member - DOZER - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 14:30

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 14:30
Stephen, back in April 2017 we did the binns, at which i met a fellow exploroz traveller in a white hzj75 at Delhousie a day before you were to meet him for a few weeks desert wander.
We started our trek on the Oodnadatta track, cut across to Delhousie, Moly Clarks, the Clark nature reserve etc, St Helen and into Alice
From Alice we headed into the east mac ranges towards Ross river, then north past old mining areas, this being the correct way. We did stop at Ruby Gap for a night which was a side track.
After sandover, we got lost following station tracks south of Policemans waterhole, and found the most amazing hilly rocky grassy 4wd country to traverse, the track exited (from the east)to the policemans water hole main track in at-20.743305, 135.192119. Was this the track you traversed?
We didnt know at the time, but it was Donkey mating season, and the Alpha kept us awake all night x3.
Cant wait to get back to do some more camping in Davenport NP (and Eringa)
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Reply By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:13

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:13
Haha, Stephen you beat me to it. I just sat down here today to write a post seeking a full Track Log of the correct route. Due the confusion found with incorrect routing on the NT websites etc I wanted to see if I could get it right for the EOTopo 2023 map. Whilst all the tracks are marked on the map already, what I'm seeking is confirmation of the correct official route so that it can be highlighted and made into a featured ExplorOz Trek so that any future users can simply use the preplanned route. Yes I can hack it out, but we always work with real data, so I'd like to overlay a route file into my mapping system so that I can verify it against the tracks in the map.

Still required - a full Track Log of the whole Binns Track.

Please contact me to submit.
Thanks Michelle
David (DM) & Michelle (MM)
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:25

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:25
I will get them to you via email, but each leg is a days travel only.

Do you also need a copy of the Westprint digital map that I was also running on another computer?

Cheers
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:42

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:42
Yes separate day files are fine, thanks Stephen. You have my email. It's a long weekend here but I'll be working to get this sorted asap.
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Follow Up By: Member - Boobook - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 05:26

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 05:26
I hope Westprint know their maps and content are being copied.

EO has taken the moral high ground wrt copyright on quite a few ocassions when the shoe is on the other foot.

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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 08:28

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 08:28
Not being copied at all Boobook, so no copyright issues.

I am supplying my own privately recorded daily track files that in law belong to me, who I am giving permission to ExplorOz to use to give the correct route for Binns Track.

And also for the record, but my recorded files show a few variations in Westprint map, showing that my files are different and 100% accurate as of June and July 2022.

My files are actually field recorded at a rate the same that I used when doing freelance field work for Hema.
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Reply By: ExplorOz - David & Michelle - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:46

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 20:46
It's very sad to see official government Tourism websites publishing wrong information. Stephen and I couldn't believe it yesterday when we looked at this. No wonder people get confused and in turn they confuse me!
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 22:25

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 22:25
I could not believe what the NT tourism have put up.

Makes you wonder how old it is, my guess it is many, many years out of date.

Even another publication that I also have shows the correct route, but the Westprint booklet has far more detail.

Have just checked the publication date on the Westprint one, shows 2nd Edition, maps contain some data copyright Geoscience Australia 2019.
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 23:42

Saturday, Mar 04, 2023 at 23:42
Sent you a good start for the daily track files from Ozi.

Please let me know if they are ok and will sent the rest
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Reply By: Phil G - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 11:05

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 11:05
Gday Syephen,
The original Cattlewater Pass track that ran from Arltunga to Gemtree became impassable by a weather event about 15 years ago and remained closed for many years after. So that is why the Pinnacles Track is recommended by NT Tourism, and I expect the signage in your photo predated that change.

To my knowledge, Cattlewater Pass is still no public access. Has this changed?
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 11:17

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 11:17
The NT tourism map is 100% wrong and is definitely post date of their wrong information.

We used well documented and signposted track. These new track give full confidence for anyone that does not use moving maps.

Here is that section you mentioned and have uploaded my Ozi track into the latestUser Tracks

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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 11:21

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 11:21
And this is the next correct section from Gemtree to the Ammaroo TurnoffNext and correct section of the Binns Track
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Follow Up By: Phil G - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 16:15

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 16:15
Yeah, Pinnacle Track is the correct route - it comes out 8km east of Gemtree (not 20km which made me think you'd done Cattlewater Pass).
Its just the website that has the wrong map. Here is the 2023 "Drive the NT" map that I picked up at the C&C show last month:
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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 17:36

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 17:36
That’s more like it Phil.

You think that the Tourism Commission would at least get their map correct.


Cheers
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Follow Up By: Phil G - Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 17:49

Sunday, Mar 05, 2023 at 17:49
Yeah, the map on their website, being a zoom-in zoom-out type thing might not have had the correct tracks available on it, so someone doing the website might have had a F-it moment .
All their other info says Pinnacle track.
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Follow Up By: Bazooka - Monday, Mar 06, 2023 at 21:40

Monday, Mar 06, 2023 at 21:40
I emailed them yesterday with a link to this thread Stephen. They've already made some adjustments but are limited by their tech so it won't be anywhere near perfect.

"There’s a limitation with the map provider on our site (Google Maps) – basically, it tries not to draw the route over unsealed roads. We can “coax” it by adding waypoints, but are limited to 10 of these per route."

Outstanding response, second rate technology?

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Follow Up By: Stephen L (Clare) SA - Monday, Mar 06, 2023 at 23:15

Monday, Mar 06, 2023 at 23:15
Hi Bazooka

What a joke from a Government Department

What a lot of bull about they work off Google Maps and limited to 10 waypoints per section on dirt.

Well why waste taxpayers money with that attitude, as of the 2200 plus kilometres, there would be around less than 200 km that is bitumen, the 80 odd km where it enters the Stuart highway south of Tennant Creek and the 100 km give or take from TC to the turnoff north of Dunmarra.
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Follow Up By: Bob Y. - Qld - Tuesday, Mar 07, 2023 at 06:46

Tuesday, Mar 07, 2023 at 06:46
Stephen,

Tennant Ck-Buchanan T’off is 338kms, according to Hema?

Bob

Seen it all, Done it all.
Can't remember most of it.

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